This invention relates to a method for heat treating a bread baking wheat flour to form a flour and the resulting dough having improved stability and bake absorption.
Various approaches have been proposed in the prior art for heat treating wheat flour in order to alter its characteristics. For example, Hankinson U.S. Pat. No. 3,554,772 discloses a heat treatment method designed to inactivate a substantial portion of the enzymes of the flour. In this method flour is heated in an aqueous suspension to about 135.degree. to 150.degree. F. in the presence of a hydration prevention agent, and the heated suspension is then sprayed dried, preferably to a moisture content below about 10 percent. The resulting heat treated flour is said to provide a dough with a longer shelf life caused by the reduced enzyme activity. A heating approach which requires the flour to be first mixed with water and then sprayed dried is a relatively cumbersome, energy intensive process. Furthermore, there is no suggestion in the Hankinson patent that heat treating parameters may be selected to increase dough strength and bake absorption of the dough formed from the heat treated flour.
Hampton U.S. Pat. No. 3,869,558 discloses a method for making a free-flowing cereal flour with a moisture content between about 4 and about 10 percent and a high and stable viscosity. The flour is made by subjecting a cereal flour with a normal native moisture content to indirect heating at a temperature of 120.degree. to 160.degree. C. for 5 to 60 minutes. The flour being treated is maintained under a protective blanket of water vapor derived from the vaporization of the native moisture of the flour starting material. The disclosed method is said to degrade alpha amylase present in the flour to produce a product with a high Falling Number and a high water binding capacity. There is no suggestion in the Hampton patent that a heat treatment process may be designed to produce an improved dough having increased stability and increased bake absorption.
Dough strength or stability is a measure of a flour's tolerance to mixing, and it is related to the gluten properties of the flour. Higher stability flours often command a higher price, and it would be therefore desirable if it were possible to enhance the dough strength of a flour.